KA’UPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii (AP) — Stewart Cink won the PGA Tour Champions' season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship on Saturday, closing with an 8-under 63 for a three-stroke victory.
The 52-year-old Cink finished at 23-under 193 at Hualalai. He won his second straight event after closing last season with a victory in Phoenix in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. He has five senior titles.
Ángel Cabrera was second after a 66. Retief Goosen shot a 64 to finish third at 18 under, and Ernie Els (67), Thomas Bjorn (66) and Freddie Jacobson (70) were 17 under. Sixty-six-year-old Fred Couples was 15 under after a 70.
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — John Camden his season high with 25 points and set a new season high with 10 rebounds on Saturday night to help California overcome a 16-point deficit to beat Stanford 78-66 and snap a five-game skid in the series.
Camden made 8 of 13 from the field, 5 of 8 from 3-point range, and 4 of 5 from the free-throw line. Justin Pippen scored 18 points and added six assists. Dai Dai Ames added 11, including nine in the second half, to go with six rebounds. Chris Bell had 10 and three blocks for Cal (15-5, 3-4 ACC).
Jeremy Dent-Smith led Stanford (14-6, 3-4) with 20 points and Ryan Agarwal had 12 points and nine rebounds. Ebuka Okorie, who went in scoring 22.1 per game (No. 8 nationally), had 14 points on 1-of-16 shooting, 0 of 9 from 3-point range, while making 12 of 14 from the free-throw line.
The Cardinal scored 10 consecutive points to make it 60-all with 6:38 to play, but Bell answered 14 seconds later with a 3-pointer before Pippen hit two free throws and added a 3 to spark a 17-2 run that made it 77-62 with 55 seconds left.
The Bears lead the series, which dates to the 1911-12 season, 155-134.
Dent-Smith scored 11 points, which included three 3-pointers, in a 21-4 run that gave the Cardinal a 16-point lead with 7:08 left in the first half.
The Cardinal made nine of their first 21 field-goal attempts, but hit 9 of 45 from there and finished shooting 27% (18 of 66) overall.
Stanford announced Wednesday that Chisom Okpara, the team's second-leading scorer (13.9 per game), will miss the rest of the season. The 6-foot-8 senior suffered a lower-body injury in a 70-55 loss Jan. 10 at No. 14 Virginia.
There is a Disney joke in here somewhere, but pun or not, the Cavs got a superstar effort from their best player in a game that held a little more meaning than usual. Mitchell’s 36 points, 27 of which came in the second half, are even more impressive given that he was only 2-8 from deep and attempted five free throws the whole night. Mitchell methodically and surgically picked apart Orlando’s defense, like here, where he did his patented high carry to lose the defender.
With the Cavs missing four rotation players and playing on the second end of a back-to-back, a sterling performance from Mitchell is exactly what they needed. The NBA’s leading second-half scorer lived up to that title, and it led the Cavs to an impressive road win.
Winner – Team Defense
The Cavs won this game on the defensive end, treating the Magic as they should be – the worst three-point shooting team in the Eastern Conference. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen patrolled the paint and stonewalled any attempts at the rim, forcing Orlando to work from the outside in. That, predictably, went quite poorly.
Desmond Bane is not having a great three-point shooting season, seemingly becoming stricken with whatever has plagued Orlando’s shooters over the last few years. Paulo Banchero is not a good shooter from deep, yet tied for the team lead in makes with three. Anthony Black has been good, but he isn’t striking fear into anyone. Orlando’s bench went 1-12 from deep, the lone make coming from Moe Wagner.
This game felt like the Cavs had a plan in mind and executed it perfectly, which has not appeared to be the case as much as one would expect. Cleveland’s team defenders all played well and pressured the Magic in all the ways they should.
Loser – De’Andre Hunter’s knee
Hunter was a relatively late scratch with knee soreness, something to monitor given his injury history. The tumultuous season for Hunter has, somehow, not involved any extended injury issues. It’s just been ineffectiveness, lineup shifts, and the odd trade rumor. Surely the Cavs will be cautious with Hunter as the All-Star break approaches.
Winner – The Backup Point Guards
Craig Porter Jr. has his place in Cavs’ fans’ hearts, and has stepped up this season as well, but tonight was about the other two point guards on Cleveland’s roster.
Lonzo Ball has been a disappointment for the Cavs, but he has the capability of putting together enough plays to make an impact. He had a stretch in the second quarter where he poked the ball free from Wagner, dove for possession, and immediately ran up the floor and got back on offense for an eventual bucket. If the shot isn’t falling, and it hasn’t for Ball this season, then those types of things are where he can make an impact.
Another quality draft find for the Cavs’ front office is Tyrese Proctor, who now has double-digit minutes in four of his last five games. Proctor had 12 points on 4-4 shooting, staying ready given the constantly changing rotations. With Darius Garland out, Proctor may get the occasional spurt of minutes to provide a little shooting, but his size also gives an additional wrinkle. Once Garland returns, Proctor’s minutes will surely decline, if not disappear. But he has some juice for a rookie second-round draft pick.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — J.T. Compher scored twice as the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Winnipeg Jets 5-1 in front of a sold-out crowd of 15,225 on Saturday night.
The Red Wings rebounded from a 4-3 overtime loss to Minnesota on Thursday and now have points in their last five games. The Jets have lost four of their last five.
Lucas Raymond and Marco Kasper added a goal and assist, and Alex DeBrincat also scored for the Red Wings, who scored four times in the third period.
John Gibson made 26 saves to earn his 21st win of the season. Gibson has now earned victories in eight straight starts.
Cole Koepke scored for the Jets, and Connor Hellebuyck made 26 saves in his fourth consecutive loss.
Koepke opened the scoring at 10:08 of the second period. The goal snapped a scoreless drought for Winnipeg at 5-on-5 dating back to Jan. 17 against Toronto — a span of 235 minutes, 48 seconds.
Detroit responded with 4:10 left in the period when Compher batted home a loose puck in the crease. Former Jet Andrew Copp picked up the assist.
Raymond scored his 18th of the season to extend his point streak to five games. The goal stood following video review for a high stick.
The Red Wings swept the season series 2-0. Detroit won the first game on home ice, 2-1, on Dec. 31.
On a night when the Bulls franchise honored Derrick Rose and raised his #1 to the United Center rafters, the home team beat Boston 114-111 with a last second triple from Kevin Huerter. For the Celtics, they split the back-to-back nailbiters after winning in double OT last night in Brooklyn, but fall to 10-14 in clutch games.
Back in early January, the Celtics cruised to a 115-101 win over the Bulls back at TD Garden. They led by as many as 23 points and Boston buried Chicago under an avalanche of threes with Anfernee Simons hitting 8-of-14 from behind the arc for 27 points.
On a chilly night in the Windy City, it was the Bulls that got hot and hit nearly half their triples (21-of-45), including Huerter’s game-winner from the corner.
Since promoting Joe Mazzulla to head coach, the Celtics have the best record on back-to-backs at 35-13 (h/t Dan Greenberg). Coming off a double overtime win in Brooklyn on Friday night, the Celtics offense looked a little tired and hey couldn’t overcome their poor shooting; they made just 15 of their 47 threes.
Jaylen Brown finished with another 30-plus game with 33 points (14-0f-28 from the field), eight rebounds, and five assists. Anfernee Simons chipped in 21 and Derrick White’s shooting slump (5-of-18) continued in the loss. Seven Bulls players finished in double figures.
Mazzulla has consistently rewarded young players who impact games, and Williams may have earned himself a longer look. While his development is primarily happening in Maine, there’s value in giving him NBA reps — something he’s handled well each time so far.
Williams in fact started in place of Neemias Queta. He didn’t get the lion’s share at center as a starter normally does, but he did look solid in his ten minutes of playing time.
The team now heads home for seven of nine at TD Garden with the trade deadline (February 5th) and All-Star Weekend on the horizon. They host the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday at 5 pm.
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Jalen Warley scored 19 points and Davis Fogle added 15 points and a last-second rebound as No. 8 Gonzaga edged San Francisco 68-66 on Saturday night for its 14th consecutive victory of the season and 34th win in a row over the Dons.
Tyon Grant-Foster added 15 points for Gonzaga (21-1, 9-0 West Coast Conference), which was without its two leading scorers for the third straight game. Forward Braden Huff (17.8 points per game) is out for several weeks with a knee injury. Forward Graham Ike (18 ppg) is expected back soon from an ankle injury.
Legend Smiley scored 18 points and Ryan Beasley 14 for San Francisco (13-9, 5-4), which has not beaten Gonzaga since 2012. The Dons' last win in Spokane was in 1989.
San Francisco sank 14 of 28 3-point attempts to nearly end its long victory drought at Gonzaga.
Junjie Wang had a basket and two free throws to cut Gonzaga’s lead to 60-57 with five minutes left. But the Dons went cold after that and Grant-Foster’s basket and a late 3-pointer with two minutes left lifted the Zags to a 67-57 lead.
Vukasin Masic hit a pair of 3-pointers for the Dons to cut Gonzaga’s lead to 68-66 with 30 seconds left.
The Dons played for the final shot and Wang launched a long 3-pointer that clanged off the rim. Fogle rebounded for Gonzaga and time expired.
The Zags opened the game with a 12-0 run. San Francisco missed its first eight field goal attempts and didn't score until Tyrone Riley's 3-pointer with 12:40 left in the first.
But the Dons hit four more 3-pointers in the first to close within 26-21. Gonzaga then went on a 10-4 run to build a 36-25 lead at halftime.
San Francisco made six 3-pointers early in the second half, including three by Smiley, to cut Gonzaga's lead to 53-47.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Flory Bidunga had 21 points and 10 rebounds, Elmarko Jackson added 19 points, and No. 19 Kansas overcame the absence of standout guard Darryn Peterson with a big finishing kick for an 86-62 win over Kansas State on Saturday night.
Melvin Council Jr. contributed 17 points and Bryson Tiller had 16 for the Jayhawks (15-5, 5-2 Big 12), who ended the game on a 27-7 run in the return to the sideline for coach Bill Self, who had missed their previous game because of a health-related issue.
Peterson, one of the nation's best freshmen, had been on a tear after finally overcoming a series of cramping issues. But the Jayhawks' high-scoring guard was sidelined against Kansas State after spraining his ankle in Tuesday night's win over Colorado.
P.J. Haggerty had 18 of his 23 points in the second half to lead the Wildcats (10-10, 1-6). Andrej Kostic added 12 points.
Kansas State was short-handed, too. Khamari McGriff and fellow forward Mobi Ikegwuruka have been out with injuries, while starting guard Abdi Bashir remains sidelined after undergoing surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot.
Kostic was among those pressed into more minutes. And the freshman from Serbia delivered right away, hitting four 3-pointers in a span of about four minutes in the first half, helping to keep the Wildcats within 37-35 at the break.
Kansas was still clinging to a 59-55 lead after Haggerty's 3-pointer with 7:50 to go, but Bidunga proceeded to score seven points during a 15-3 run. It was highlighted by a rim-rattling ally-oop dunk by Bidunga that helped to put the game away.
The Jayhawks won their fourth straight game while snapping a three-game skid against Kansas State in Manhattan. They also have won 16 of the past 20 overall in the second-longest active rivalry played in Division I men's basketball.
Up next
Kansas plays No. 13 BYU at Allen Fieldhouse next Saturday.
Kansas State heads to West Virginia on Tuesday night.
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — William Carrier, Seth Jarvis and Taylor Hall scored in the first period and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Ottawa Senators 4-1 on Saturday night to take the Eastern Conference lead.
Rookie goalie Brandon Bussi 35 saves for the victory.
Jalen Chatfield’s cross-ice pass sprung Mark Jankowski on an odd-man rush, where he fed Carrier cross-slot for an easy backhand tap-in to open the scoring just four minutes into the game. Only two minutes later, Jarvis beat James Reimer cleanly with a top-corner snipe from the faceoff circle.
Andrei Svechnikov made it 4-0 in the second.
Tim Stutzle scored for Ottawa.
Before the game, the Senators honored former coach Jacques Martin for his induction into the Senators’ Ring of Honor.
Grades are based on our usual expectations for each player. A “B” represents an average performance for that player.
Donovan Mitchell
36 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals
Mitchell struggled to get going early. He had just nine points on 4-12 shooting at the break, and he very much looked like someone playing their second game in as many nights.
But it’s often not about how you start, but how you finish.
Mitchell was spectacular in the closing two quarters. He poured in 27 points in the second half on 11-18 shooting. Orlando didn’t have an answer as Mitchell continually got inside the paint whenever he wanted to.
The Cavs didn’t necessarily need a 36-point outing to win this game, this was a solid performance up and down the roster. However, the incredible scoring in the second half allowed this to be the double-digit victory that it was.
Grade: A
Jaylon Tyson
17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists
The most encouraging part about Tyson’s offensive impact this season has been how he’s been able to find his spots within the flow of the offense. There isn’t any over-dribbling or indecision. He either goes up quickly with the shot or keeps the ball moving to find the open man.
It helps that Tyson has been one of the most efficient off-ball shooters in the league. Tyson came into this game shooting 46.3% on 4.3 catch-and-shoot threes. That’s in the top ten for players who’ve attempted more than to catch-and-shoot threes per game. That number is going to go up as he went 3-5 from beyond the arc in the win.
Additionally, the two-man game between him and Mitchell continues to grow. Head coach Kenny Atkinson has credited their development together to how much time they spend discussing and practicing those actions. That came in useful again here.
Overall, it was another good performance from someone who’s far exceeded expectations this season.
Grade: A
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The offensive process was solid. Mobley tried to get to his spots on the court and was aggressive with his moves. The issue was that his shots weren’t going as he went 4-14 from the floor. That’s not too surprising given it was the second night of a back-to-back and the Magic front court is much more physical than the Sacramento Kings’.
The Cavs’ interior defense was impressive. He, Jarrett Allen, and Dean Wade deserve credit for that.
Grade: C+
Tyrese Proctor
12 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist
Proctor’s game has often looked better than the results. He has a good understanding of where he should be on the court, takes shots within the flow of the offense, and competes on the defensive end. And when the shot is falling, like it did in Orlando, he can provide a much-needed boost off the bench.
Grade: A
Craig Porter Jr.
4 points, 1 assist, 0 rebounds
This was a relatively quiet night for Porter. He didn’t play bad by any stretch. He just didn’t have a large impact on the outcome.
Grade: C
Lonzo Ball
6 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists
Ball does a lot of things well on the court. Those come through more in games that don’t turn into three-point shooting contests.
It’s easy to point out a player’s flaw when it’s something as obvious as struggling with the outside shot. Those struggles shouldn’t overshadow how good a rebounder, facilitator, and all-around basketball player he can be on nights like this.
Allen didn’t make much of an impact as a scorer, but he did show up on the defensive end by contributing three steals and two blocks.
Grade: C
Nae’Qwan Tomlin
9 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists
Three-point shooting has been an issue for Tomlin this season. It wasn’t on Saturday as he went 2-4 on outside shots.
Tomlin’s energy, offensive rebounding, and finishing inside have been much needed. It’s easier to get him on the court to showcase those skills if the three-ball is an asset, as it was here.
Grade: B+
Thomas Bryant
4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
The Cavs needed extra energy on the second night of a back-to-back. Bryant provided that in the limited time he was on the court, while also hitting a momentum-saving three at the end of the third quarter to make it a double-digit lead heading into the fourth.
He did his job.
Grade: B+
Dean Wade
10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
Wade’s defense is incredibly valuable for this starting unit to the point that anything he provides on the offensive end feels like a bonus. He didn’t have a scoring outburst against Orlando, but the baskets he made either turned the momentum or kept the momentum going. That included an impressive layup from nearly behind the backboard after a three-quarter court pass from Mitchell.
It was another successful road trip for the Detroit Red Wings, who collected five of a possible six points, capped by a 5–1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night.
Led by a pair of goals from J.T. Compher, the Red Wings moved back into first place in the Atlantic Division standings, overtaking the Tampa Bay Lightning, who were in action at the same time but beaten 8-5 by the Columbus Blue Jackets.
It was also the second straight game the Red Wings played without defenseman Simon Edvinsson, who is unavailable because of a lower-body injury.
There was no score in the opening 20 minutes of play at Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg, but the ice was broken midway through the second period by Jets forward Cole Koepke, who backhanded a loose puck off a shot from Logan Stanley past goaltender John Gibson.
However, the Red Wings would knot the score late in the frame thanks to the first of two goals on the night from Compher. He banged the puck past Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck right in front of the crease after taking a feed from Andrew Copp.
Compher then scored what ultimately proved to be the game-winning goal in the third period, capitalizing on a pretty three-way passing play with James van Riemsdyk and Emmitt Finnie, who now has points in consecutive games.
Lucas Raymond doubled the lead when his wraparound attempt deflected into the air, off the crossbar, off Hellebuyck’s back, and into the net. While the Jets thought that Marco Kasper may have high-sticked the puck before it entered the net, replays showed that wasn't the case.
Detroit then salted the game away with an empty-net goal from Alex DeBrincat. Patrick Kane picked up an assist on the play, moving him within one point of Mike Modano for the most points by a U.S.-born player in NHL history.
Kasper then added a goal on a two-on-one rush with Dylan Larkin just 32 seconds later, giving him his fifth goal of the season; he now has points in four of five games after a lengthy drought.
Gibson continued his impressive streak for the Red Wings, making 25 saves. Hellebuyck, a Commerce Township, Mich. native who will be teammates with Larkin next month during the Winter Olympics, made 26 saves.
The Red Wings will return home for three straight contests, starting on Tuesday evening against the Los Angeles Kings.
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The Rangers’ baffling unreadiness at pivotal moments in a game dates back to last season.
It is, of course, easily identifiable, but Mike Sullivan clocked it as a reflection of the team’s shortcomings in situational play. The first-year Rangers head coach has rattled off several instances this season, such as the start and end of periods, after a goal is scored and after a fight.
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Those are critical moments in games, he’s pointed out numerous times, in which teams have an opportunity to build or stifle momentum.
Friday night at San Jose saw the Blueshirts give up their 14th goal of the season within at least the first 2:18 of a period. That includes overtime, in which they have surrendered the game-winner within the first 1:33 on three occasions.
The onus will always fall on the players who are actually taking the ice, but Sullivan took accountability from behind the bench as well.
“I think we got to have a readiness from the drop of the puck,” Sullivan said after the 3-1 loss to the Sharks on Friday night. “And trust me, I’ve thought about it because lately I think the last few games, we haven’t had the best starts. So I got to do a better job preparing them for it. I got to find a way to make sure they’re ready from the drop of the puck.”
The 14 goals do not even include the multitude of occasions the Rangers were caught slipping at the end of period.
Falling on the right side of momentum-changing moments has been a point of concern for this Rangers team. There’s a certain level of focus that is required to manage games effectively, and they have repeatedly blown critical moments.
Will Cuylle (50) and William Eklund (72) battle for the puck during the third period of the Rangers’ loss to the Sharks on Jan. 23, 2026 at SAP Center at San Jose. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Unable to avoid what’s gone on outside the locker room since the 2024 offseason, the Rangers’ on-ice product undoubtedly has been affected. Team confidence is so clearly fractured. There doesn’t appear to be much internal drive. It feels like they are anticipating defeat most nights.
As much as roster construction and chemistry are to blame as well, no club can function properly under the circumstances the Rangers have faced in the last 19 months or so.
It has been evident for some time that the team needs some fresh faces, hence the retooling announcement in “The Letter II.”
The Rangers would like to believe that clarity on the organization’s status would alleviate pressure.
Mika Zibanejad talked about enjoying the time they still have with each other as a group.
Captain J.T. Miller noted that all the “B.S.” is out in front of them now, and they can try to enjoy the game again.
Alexander Wennberg (21) attempts to shoot past goalie Spencer Martin during the second period of the Rangers’ road loss to the Sharks. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
A team psyche, however, doesn’t always work so simply.
The Rangers might want to begin with starting games on time.
“It’s just they came out with more urgency,” Miller said of the Sharks. “We’re not ready to play, I don’t like saying that. Like, we were ready to play the game, but they won a couple more battles early on. They worked harder, they drew more penalties in those certain instances and capitalized on their power play. So, I mean, that was basically the start of the game. I mean, when we took the timeout, I think it was 3 ¹/₂ minutes into the game and was basically short-handed up until that point. So it’s kind of hard. But like I said, they earned their power plays in the beginning of the game, and they were just a little more urgent than we were.”
Due to the impending snowstorm, the Rangers canceled their Alumni Classic that was scheduled to take place Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
According to a news release, the organization assured that tickets purchased through Ticketmaster or directly at the MSG Box Office would be automatically refunded to the original method of payment.
Word is there are no current plans to reschedule the event, which was set to feature notable alumni such as Adam Graves, Derek Stepan, Mike Richter, Dan Girardi, Henrik Lundqvist, Marc Staal, Brian Boyle and Sean Avery.
Coming off the best game of his rookie season, Nolan Traore will have to wait to make his next impact.
Both Traore (illness) and Cam Thomas (sprained left ankle) were ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Clippers in Los Angeles.
Traore’s fellow rookie Egor Dëmin showed signs earlier in the season of growing into the player the team hoped when they drafted him eighth overall out of BYU, Traore has stepped into the spotlight more recently.
Nolan Traore dribbles the ball upcourt during the Nets’ double overtime loss to the Celtics on Jan.23, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
Traore was also on the floor again late in the game instead of Dëmin.
“I think as a 19-year-old, Nolan played very meaningful minutes and he did a great job,’’ Jordi Fernández said.
The coach noted Traore’s “ability to touch the paint and how slippery he is” as the reason he used him late and believes he will develop into having a greater role.
“There [are] some mistakes and we need him to be the floor general and talk and use his voice,’’ Fernández said. “But he’s going to grow that voice and I’m going to trust him.”
Traore managed to impress some of his veteran teammates with his latest performance.
“He got to the paint, he finished well [and] he steadied the team in the clutch moments,’’ Michael Porter Jr. said. “He made some really big layups. And he used his speed to his advantage. So I thought it was a really good [game] for him to get that experience in the fourth quarter and overtimes. Egor’s been in those moments now a few times and it was good that Nolan got to be in those moments, as well.”
Nic Claxton said it was “big” for Traore to be on the court down the stretch.
Payton Pritchard shoots over Nolan Traore during overtime of the Nets’ loss to the Celtics. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
“You can show him that he belongs here,’’ Claxton said. “I remember when I first started getting those clutch-time minutes. It is a good feeling and being able to impact the game.”
Claxton added Traore “did a lot of good things for us: Getting downhill and getting in the paint, spraying it out, making some good plays… Going forward, we’re definitely going to need that level of play from him.”
Thomas’ latest absence comes in what’s been a rough season, with his future with the Nets in doubt as the Feb. 5 trade deadline approaches.
Ben Saraf will be available in Traore’s absence.
Claxton was not listed on the injury report Saturday. He was due to get imaging on his right pinky finger on after injuring it during Friday’s game.
He initially left the game due to the injury, but later returned and was able to finish the game.
If Claxton is unavailable Sunday in Los Angeles, Day’Ron Sharpe could make his fourth start of the season. Noah Clowney was listed as doubtful with back soreness.
It’s a good thing the baseball season is still two months away. San Diego Padres president of baseball operations/general manager A.J. Preller has plenty of time to upgrade the roster before the start of the new season. It could be a problem if he doesn’t make the needed improvements before March 26, Opening Day against the Detroit Tigers.
With the roster still missing a 1B/DH and at least one starting pitcher, the projections for 2026 are not favorable, according to certain projections.
There are two different projections found on the FanGraphs pages. The Steamer projections are the work of Jared Cross, Dash Davidson and Peter Rosenbloom. The definition from MLB:
Steamer uses past performance and aging trends to develop a future projection for players. It also uses pitch-tracking data to help forecast pitchers. On Fangraphs, the projections are updated daily and predict each player’s numbers over the course of the remainder of the season.
These are the objective evaluations that are available to fans and media alike.
There is another system published on FanGraphs, the ZiPS projections developed by Dave Zymborski. The Zymborski Projection System (ZiPS) is not based on human evaluation but an algorithm developed by Zymborski.
ZiPS uses growth and decline curves based on player type to find trends. It then factors those trends into the past performance of those players to come up with projections. The system uses statistics from the previous four years for players from ages 24-38, and it weights more recent seasons heavier. For younger or older players, it uses weighted statistics from only the previous three years. The system also factors velocities, injury data and play-by-play data into its equations.
These two systems can differ significantly at times. The projections begin with a preseason posting of stats for all players and teams and are updated as the season goes along, based on performance.
As of now, the Padres are projected to have a .496 winning percentage from Steamer. ZiPS is more optimistic, with a high 80s to 90-win season. They would only have 80 wins based on the Steamer numbers after removing the players that have left the team. With Michael King being the only significant returning player, the Padres rotation does not measure up as a playoff team, according to those Steamer numbers.
Both Steamers and ZiPS uses WAR as the final tool to measure a player’s value. Specific stats are also included in the projection but the overall evaluation is expressed in WAR (Wins Above Replacement). For pitchers, their ERA and WAR is the overall valuation tool as well as games pitched and innings pitched.
The Padres bullpen is already acknowledged as one of the best, if not the best, in baseball. With the rotation and lineup being the factors still in flux, I limited my research to those areas.
Offense
For the 2025 season, Fernando Tatis Jr. topped the team with a fWAR of 6.1 (FanGraphs stat). The next closest Padre was Manny Machado at 3.8 WAR. Xander Bogaerts came in at 3.2 and Jackson Merrill at 3.0. Jake Cronenworth had a 2.9 WAR but then the WAR fell off significantly to Gavin Sheets at 1.3. Ramon Laureano played only 50 games with the Padres so his WAR only reflected those games. He had a 6.0 offensive WAR but his defense brought his overall down to 0.7. All other Padres were under 1.0.
For reference, 1-2 is considered below average. 2.0 is an average player with 2-3 being a good player. 3-4 is considered All-Star level and 4-5 is a superstar. 6 or 6-plus is an MVP candidate-type player.
With the season that Tatis Jr. had offensively, the majority of his WAR was accumulated defensively as his offense was good but not MVP level.
Pitchers WAR
For the starting pitchers, Nick Pivetta topped out at 3.7 WAR and Dylan Cease had a 3.4. They were the only two starters above 1.0 in WAR in 2025.
Projections: Offense
Here are some of the numbers projected for the Padres players for 2026. I’m listing both Steamers and ZiPS for comparison and listing other notable stats projected with their WAR.
Fernando Tatis Jr. has a projected 4.9 with ZiPS and 5.1 with Steamers. He has a similar batting average projected with both (.275 with Steamers and .265 with ZiPS). He is projected to hit 30 (Steamers) or 26 (ZiPS) homers with 80 (Z) or 78 (Z) RBI.
Manny Machado has a projected 3.2 WAR (Z) or 3.3 (S) and a batting average of .258 (Z) and .268 (S). They believe his home run totals will drop again in 2026 to 23 (Z) and 26 (S) with 84 (Z) and 85 (S) RBI.
Jackson Merrill is projected to take a significant step up, undoubtedly presuming that he will have better health in the coming season. His WAR increases to 4.3 (Z) and 4.1 (S) with a .270 (Z) or .269 (S) batting average. His home run total is 20 (Z) and 23 (S) with 75 (Z) and 77 (S) RBI.
Xander Bogaerts has a 3.3 WAR (Z) versus a 2.9 (S) with a batting average of .259 (Z) and .270 (S). He is projected to hit 10 (Z) and 13 (S) homers with 52 (Z) and 57 (S) RBI.
Jake Cronenworth is also projected to take a step down from his 2025 season. His WAR is projected to be 2.0 (Z) and 1.6 (S) with his batting average dropping to .233 (Z) and .236 (S). With his home run 12 (Z) and 13 (S) numbers and his RBI 55 (Z) and 56 (S) numbers also similar. His drop would be due to an assumed decrease in his on base ability or his defense dipping.
Ramon Laureano, in his first full season with the Padres, is projected to have a 2.2 (Z) and 1.2 (S) WAR with a .242 (Z) and .243 (S) average. He is projected to hit 17 homers in both with 58 (Z) and 57 (S) RBI.
Projections: Starters
None of the Padres starters are projected to have an ERA below 3.55, with Michael King projected to have 22 games pitched and 119 innings to achieve that ERA with a 2.2 WAR. Nick Pivetta has a projected 26 games started and 156 innings pitched with a 3.87 ERA and 2.3 WAR. He is obviously not viewed as being able to replicate his 2025 success.
Joe Musgrove is viewed conservatively in his first season back after UCL surgery. He projects to 16 starts and 91 innings with a 3.87 ERA and 1.4 WAR. JP Sears is seen with a 4.0 ERA in 28 games started and 144 innings pitched and a 0.8 WAR. Randy Vasquez brings up the rear with a 4.68 ERA in 25 starts and 125 innings pitched and a 0.7 WAR.
Any significant upgrade to the roster will improve the overall team projections but it will be up to the players to outperform their individual projections.
With most of the major free agents in MLB now off the board, it could be a good time to sign the mid-tier players that Preller would presumably be aiming to target. A quality bat and mid-rotation starter is just what is needed to improve the overall projections.
The Islanders made the long-awaited move to call up Isaiah George before Saturday’s game, but did so in the sort of context they would have preferred to avoid.
Ryan Pulock was out with an upper-body injury and called day to day by coach Patrick Roy.
That meant instead of replacing Adam Boqvist in the lineup — which would have been the likely move had the Islanders brought home a fully healthy defensive corps from Wednesday’s 4-1 loss in Seattle — George was on a pair opposite the Swede.
Isaiah George (left) looks to keep the puck away from Tyson Kozak during the second period of the Islanders’ 5-0 loss to the Sabres at UBS Arena on Jan. 24, 2026. NHLI via Getty Images
Scott Mayfield moved up to the top pair in Pulock’s usual spot, reprising the role he played at the start of the season on the right side of Matthew Schaefer.
“I thought it was good,” George said of his performance across 13:56 of ice as the Islanders lost 5-0 to the Sabres. “Thought I had some moments, obviously, wish you had better shifts, but I felt comfortable out there. Getting back to the groove of things but I felt like I was handling the puck pretty well. Felt like I was seeing the ice.”
Before the game, Roy went through the list of players from Bridgeport the Islanders have given a chance this year: Travis Mitchell, Marshall Warren, Cole McWard and now George. Left unsaid was that part of the reason four defensemen have been called up is not one of them has seized a job for good.
George, who played 33 games with the Islanders last season, may have the best chance of doing so. Word is that the 21-year-old put on serious muscle mass since his stint with the Isles a year ago, addressing one of the issues that prevented him from finishing the season on Long Island.
The Oakville, Ontario native impressed last season with his poise and skating, but the NHL seemed to wear on him over time, in particular the physicality of the league. Roy also said that a concussion, sustained in Toronto that caused George to miss a few games, had to do with some of his struggles.
This season, George has missed time with a pair of injuries, but has impressed since returning from the latest one a couple of weeks ago in particular. In his last game before getting called up last Monday, George had two assists.
“Obviously, you’d rather not be hurt,” George said. “You want to be playing, playing good, so that was obviously a tough situation. But I’m just happy with the way I stuck with it, kept working. I feel like the last couple weeks it’s kind of gone my way.”
“I felt pretty good,” Horvat said. “I think, obviously, can be better in certain areas and timing-wise and legs, but overall felt pretty good. Felt confident.”
It looked as if the Knicks had Saturday's game against the 76ers in hand when they were up by 16 points heading into the fourth quarter, but a furious comeback by Philadelphia almost spelled disaster for New York, if it weren't for the efforts of OG Anunoby.
The Knicks forward finished with 23 points, second to Jalen Brunson's 31 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals in the team's eventual 112-109 win. But Anunoby did much more than what was shown on the stat sheet. As has often been the case, Anunoby's high-effort plays and defense were the difference between a Knicks win or loss.
"OG obviously changed the game defensively," head coach Mike Brown said after the game. "His quick decisions with the basketball, it was beautiful to watch. Defensively, guard Paul George, guard their power forward and then guard Joel Embiid. He was phenomenal defensively."
That last part was especially crucial for the Knicks. With Karl-Anthony Towns fouled out and Mitchell Robinson in foul trouble of his own, Brown went with a smaller lineup in the final minutes of the game, and giving Anunoby the tall task of guarding Embiid as the five.
While it wasn't perfect, Anunoby did his job keeping the former MVP from completely taking over the game. Embiid -- who finished with a game-high 38 points -- scored just four points in the final five minutes.
"We can’t do anything like that if you don’t have a guy like OG," Brown said of going with the smaller lineup. "OG allows us to play the basketball game in a lot of different ways. So, we were able to do it."
Anunoby's offensive contributions were also huge. With the Sixers cutting the Knicks' lead to just three points and under two minutes remaining, Anunoby had a putback dunk that seemed to settle down the team. Anunoby followed with a three-pointer in the next offensive possession before assisting on a Landry Shamet three to give the Knicks a much-needed eight-point lead.
The Knicks would need every point of that lead, as Philadelphia cut the lead back down to three, but Anunoby came up with a steal of Embiid's pass to ice the game.
Brown was asked his thoughts on Anunoby guarding Embiid and the first-year Knicks coach said, "It was good."
"He’s trying to do his work early," he added. "Try to make it hard for him to catch, guys on the perimeter get up on your guys so they can’t sit there and measure a pass and throw it over the top."
The Knicks, now winners of back-to-back games after a 2-9 stretch, will look to extend their winning streak to three when they host the Kings on Tuesday night.
